Sales of the S-Class fell 23% for the first 6 months, and will probably continue falling as gas prices take a toll on Mercedes-Benz and its sales numbers. To combat the decrease in sales, Mercedes may be looking into increasing prices, as if prices weren’t high enough right now. Dieter Zetsche said “we will continue to go fro pricing and lose some volume rather than see our contributions deteriorate.”

Their long term strategy is to finally bring the next-gen A and B-Class vehicles to the States. Zetsche stated “As we have previously reported, the return of a four-cylinder C-Class is also a possibility.” The next couple of years will definitely be exciting for Mercedes.

As we reported months ago, the A and B-Class will be totally redesigned and will also include a small crossover and coupe variant. With the current generation cars already offering stop-start technology that cuts fuel consumption by 9 percent, the next generation system should include regenerative braking, adding to the fuel efficiency benefits.